If he really believes you can’t question anything, we could question what Vilma has been drinking. The Kool-Aid of choice holds that the Saints can climb out of the dungeon Goodell has thrown them in.

They have won two straight after the 0-4 start. Drew Brees is back to his usual crazy self. He passed for 313 yards passing and four touchdowns Sunday—in the first half.

Vilma is back after spending the first five weeks on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He’ll probably be gone again after his latest Bountygate appeal is heard Oct. 30.

But the Saints say his mere presence has accelerated their healing. Throw in Vitt’s return, and you can see why New Orleans thinks a wild-card playoff spot is still out there. So is Bigfoot if you’re kooky enough to believe it.

“If we find a way to keep better," safety Malcolm Jenkins said, "with our offense and special teams we’ll find a way to win."

If they do get better it will be thanks to the attitude Jenkins showed Sunday. The Bucs were on their 4-yard line when Vincent Jackson caught a tipped pass.

He had 75 yards of green grass in front of him. Jenkins was on the opposite side of the field. He turned into a Ferrari and Jackson turned into a Volt hybrid.

"The stars aligned," Jenkins said.

He made up about 20 yards and pushed Jackson out at the 1-yard line. The 95-yard gain was the longest non-scoring play since 1972.

You’d think scoring would be a formality at that point. But the Saints’ defense didn’t play like the Saints’ defense. It stuffed LeGarrette Blount three straight times, then nailed Freeman for a four-yard loss on fourth-and-goal.

Instead of it being 28-28, the inspired Saints drove 95 yards to make it 35-21.

"That was a huge sequence," Brees said.

If only the defense could do it more often, he might not have to personally produce 35 points a game. Steve Spagnuolo replaced Bountygate villain Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator, so there was bound to be a learning curve.

There are curves. Then there are cliffs. The Saints came into Sunday allowing 456 yards a game, last in the NFL. The Bucs burned them for 513.

Forget Taylor in his prime. L.T. in his current condition would probably be an upgrade. All of which makes the Saints one of the NFL’s more intriguing and entertaining outfits.

"The character in our building is like no other I’ve ever seen," Kromer said. "We show up every day and find something to work on to get better."